I read an interesting blog the other day, Our Lives Are Measured in Love, Not Numbers, by Katie Jenson. This blogger focused on the concept of living your life through numbers. And no, I don’t mean this in the sense of becoming a mathematician or math teacher; I mean it in the sense of quantifying every aspect of your life.

It’s an interesting concept, really. Think about it… how often do you catch yourself beating yourself up over not reaching your PR in a sport you truly enjoy? Or, looking down at the scale and being disappointed in yourself because you don’t see the exact number you want? Looking at the test your professor just handed back and being upset with yourself because of the grade you see on that piece of paper? Or, looking back on your memories and not counting as many of “this” or “that” as you think you should have experienced… & lets be honest, we’ve all been guilty of at least one of these things.

When we think about life from this perspective, nothing will ever seem like enough.

And it’s so true! When we’re so busy focusing on what we don’t have, or what we feel like we’re missing out on in the limited time we feel like we have; we miss out on the things we actually do have. So, instead of focusing on all of those “missing” memories, how about we try to focus on all of the ones we actually do have? What a better feeling that would elicit for us!

When we try to look at life through this lens, we are far more able to appreciate all of the things we had been taking for granted before. Instead of trying to compartmentalize every experience we have in life, it is important to live in that moment, cherish it for everything it is, and feel it with every part of who you are.

Katie Jenson made a very eye opening observation in her article. In my opinion, she couldn’t have summarized the importance of her blog any better than with this one sentence,

“often, a number cannot define what matters most. It has to be expressed with words and felt with the heart.”

This quote speaks volumes to me because it hones in on the importance of living your life for the right reasons. We were not put here to beat each other, to have the best stories, or to compare “ours” with “theirs”. Quite the contrary. We are here to live the best life WE can live. And my best, your best, her best, and their best… may not all be the same “best”; but it is still equally as important.

When we are constantly compartmentalizing our performance, our goals, and our time, we can lose sight of really enjoying the company that surrounds us, and the experience itself.

The author of this post also points out that numbers, of course, can serve a great purpose. But, it is important for us to decipher those important values versus those that only serve to make us feel lesser than who we are.

“The point is not to eliminate numbers, but to be aware of the purpose that they serve.

Celebrate birthdays. Make countdowns. Set goals. But don’t fall into the habit of defining yourself by your numbers, or comparing yours to someone else’s. Two lives can be equally valuable with completely different sets of measurements.“

So, yes, we should set goals. We should strive for greatness. We should try our hardest. But, we should also live in the moment, allow ourselves to enjoy our experiences and every aspect of the journey, and always remember that, although our time here may be finite, that does not mean that it has to be any less amazing.

Are you struggling with being present in the moment, or being happy with what you have, or are you just interested in talking to someone about things going on in your life because you simply feel that you do not as you should? Sometimes having a partner in your journey can help. Give us a call to set up a free phone consultation at Life Skills Resource Group Orlando at 407-355-7378, and one of our Orlando Individual Counselors, Orlando Life Coaches, Orlando Teen Counselors, and Orlando Child counselors would be more than happy to help you, a family member, or a friend work on changing your life.